Andy Warhol Was Sick for at Least a Month Before He Died

Though Andy Warhol's death has been associated with routine gallbladder surgery over the past three decades, one medical expert is saying that the legendary pop artist's death shouldn't be considered such a shock.

"This was major, major surgery—not routine—in a very sick person," medical historian and retired surgeon Dr. John Ryan told The New York Times in a recent phone interview.

Ryan, meritus chief of surgery at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, Washington, has been spending the past four years since his retirement studying Warhol's medical history; he presented his findings on Sunday at the yearly meeting of the Pacific Coast Surgical Association. Warhol's family had a history of gallbladder issues, and Warhol himself had been very ill for at least a month before his death. However, his fear of hospitals combined with his hefty workload made him put his health on the back-burner.

When Warhol finally was forced to go under the knife of lead surgeon Dr. Bjorn Thorbjarnarson, his gallbladder was full of gangrene and fell to pieces as it was removed. In addition, Ryan's research revealed that Warhol's fast-paced way of living was against him:

"Warhol was dehydrated and also emaciated from having barely eaten in the previous month; had for years been taking a daily dose of speed; and was still suffering from the effects of a brush with death in 1968, when he was shot by an enraged hanger-on, ValerieSolanas. Only a brilliant surgeon and brilliant luck had saved his life then — he had been declared dead in the emergency room and had nine damaged organs."

He never truly recovered from the gunshot wounds, and as a result, he "was left with a lifetime of trouble eating and swallowing," as well as a large hernia that forced him to wear girdles to hold in his bowels. That meant that Dr. Thorjarnarson had to not only remove his gallbladder, but repair his abdominal wall, as well.

The operation seemed to go fine, but later, Warhol's heart gave out due to "ventricular fibrillation." Though it (until now) seemed like a shocking result of a routine surgery, it's not that surprising, according to new research.

Stewart Redmond Walsh, professor of vascular surgery at the National University of Ireland, Galway, told The New York Times that Warhol's death, while tragic, isn't surprising:

"When a sick body goes through the trauma of a major operation, the stress on the entire system, including the heart, can sometimes be fatal, he explained. Warhol, Dr. Walsh said in a phone interview, 'was unlucky,' but the artist's bad luck should be thought of as less like a lightning strike than like being hit by a car while crossing the street."

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Esquire participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.